Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has stated that he was not aware that soldiers used live ammunition on protesters during the #EndSARS demonstration at the Lekki Toll Gate in 2020.
Mohammed made the remark on Monday while appearing on Sunrise Daily, a programme aired on Channels Television.
The former minister said the Federal Government had access to detailed security information at the time, stressing that he was in constant communication with the Chief of Army Staff and the Chief of Defence Staff throughout the period of the protests.
According to him, soldiers deployed to the Lekki Toll Gate were issued blank rounds and not live bullets. He maintained that those involved in the incident were still alive.
“See, we at the Federal Government level had access to such information that no one had. And I know for a fact because I was continuously in touch with the Chief of Army Staff and the Chief of Defense Staff all throughout those operations.
“I know for a fact that soldiers were issued blank bullets when they went to the Lekki toll gate. The actors are still alive today.
“Honestly, I am not aware that the military used live bullets on protesters, but I know that there was no massacre at the Lekki toll gate. There was a lot of fake news, a lot of misinformation, but really, the truth of the matter is that because everybody wants to believe that people are massacred.
“And I say this. Very simple. Tell me one person who says my daughter or my son or my ward was at the lucky toll gate, and he was shot and killed there.”
Mohammed insisted that claims of a massacre at the Lekki Toll Gate were driven by misinformation, adding that no verified account had shown that anyone was killed during the incident.
